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Former junior high in Des Moines to become a hotel

WHO-TV reports that earlier this year, Jeff Young bought the building that formerly housed Franklin Junior High School for $2 million. He plans to spend an additional $6 million upgrading the building.

“There will be some remodel, but we envision this building to look darn near like it looks right now," Young says. "So when you come to stay in one of our hotel rooms it’s going to look like you’re staying in a classroom. The chalkboards will still be on the wall and the old-fashioned pencil sharpener will still be there, too."

Plans call for the second floor of the building to be hotel space; the first floor will be a mixture of community space, bars, restaurants, music venues and office space.